BlackRock Inc said on Friday that Kendrick Wilson, a former Treasury Department adviser and veteran investment banker, will join the world's biggest asset manager as vice chairman and member of the chairman's office.

Wilson, 63, will work with professionals to support client relationships. He also will work with the executive management team on organizational and professional development efforts, BlackRock said.

I started in the investment banking business in 1975. I certainly will not have that level of experience in asset management, Wilson said in an interview. On the other hand, I can bring a lot of other skill sets to the table.

Wilson said he could get involved in internal discussions on strategy, organization and human resources. He could get involved in BlackRock deals, including the integration of Barclays Global Investors, which it bought last year.

You are merging two people businesses, and I have spent a lot of time in those types of institutions, he said.

After more than a decade at Goldman Sachs Group Inc , Wilson was tapped by his former boss and then-Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, as an adviser in August 2008, at the height of the financial crisis.

Wilson left the Treasury in January of 2009 and decided to not go back to Goldman, where he had been vice chairman of investment banking and also served as a member of the executive office and chairman of the financial institutions group.

Wilson said he wanted to do something different.

I have known Larry forever, Wilson said, referring to BlackRock Chairman Laurence Fink. He and I have had discussions about working together for many years.

Before joining Goldman in 1998, Wilson was a vice chairman, member of the executive committee and head of investment banking at Lazard Freres & Co .

Ken brings a deep understanding of financial markets and the financial services industry. His unique perspective, informed by his vast experience in the industry, will be valuable to our clients as they consider the changing landscape and their investment and risk management strategies, Fink said.

(Reporting by Paritosh Bansal, editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Robert MacMillan)

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